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Drew Richards 022223
51
Belmont Abbey BAC 17-11,13-7 Conference Carolinas
87
Winner UNC Pembroke UNCP 26-2,18-2 Conference Carolinas
Belmont Abbey BAC
17-11,13-7 Conference Carolinas
51
Final
87
UNC Pembroke UNCP
26-2,18-2 Conference Carolinas
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Belmont Abbey BAC 25 26 51
UNC Pembroke UNCP 47 40 87

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Todd Anderson, Associate AD/Strategic Initiatives

No. 7 Men’s Basketball Locks Up Conference Carolinas Championship, Records Historic Win

PEMBROKE – The 7th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot better than 50 percent from the floor and showcased a dominant performance in the paint to stake claim to its second-straight Conference Carolinas outright regular season crown with an 87-51 rout of visiting Belmont Abbey on Wednesday evening at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 
The victory for the Braves (26-2, 18-2 CC) was earmarked for a few other reasons as well, namely because it helped the club establish a new program superlative for regular season victories, while also giving the Black & Gold its most home wins (13) since the 2017-18 campaign. The Crusaders (17-11, 13-7) have now come away empty-handed on their last 12 trips to Pembroke, and have not tasted victory on the road in the series since Feb. 10, 1972.
 
THE BASICS
SCORE: UNC Pembroke 87, Belmont Abbey 51
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 26-2, 18-2 CC; Belmont Abbey 17-11, 13-7 CC
LOCATION: Pembroke, N.C. (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court)
HOW IT HAPPENED
1ST HALF
The Braves limited the visiting Crusaders to just a 37-percent shooting effort in the opening half, while also registering a 24-10 advantage on the boards, in taking a 47-25 lead into the break. Abbey got to within a lone possession, 15-12, following a pair of free throws from Blake Hadley at the 12:04 mark, but Nygell Verdier's 3-pointer just more than a minute later signaled a 15-3 run for the Black & Gold that watched them can five of their six field goal attempts, including a trio of 3-pointers, across a 3-1/2-minute span.
2ND HALF
UNCP's smothering defense kept churning in the second stanza as the Crusaders mustered just 24.1 percent field goal shooting and 26 points. The Braves, meanwhile, stretched their lead out to 30 points, 66-36, on JaJuan Carr's fastbreak layup at the 11:43 mark, and led by as many as 36 points, 87-51, following a lay-in off the fingers of Bryce Brown with seven ticks remaining.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
+ Sophomore Bradlee Haskell tallied a game-high 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting, while also turning in three rebounds and a pair of assists.
+ Sophomore Nygell Verdier notched his third double-double of the season with a dozen points and 10 rebounds, while also registering two steals.
+ Redshirt freshman Cortez Marion-Holmes chipped in 12 points as well on 6-for-10 shooting, and also turned in seven rebounds and a steal.
+ Redshirt sophomore Elijah Cobb matched a career-high with 13 rebounds, but complemented his work on the boards with seven points, a career-best five steals and one block.
NOTABLES
+ UNCP pocketed its fifth conference regular season championship, including its fourth outright crown, with Wednesday's win. The Braves raked in the Peach Belt Conference regular season title in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2019-20, and won the first of two-straight Conference Carolinas titles last season.
+ The Braves tacked up their 13th home win of the season with Wednesday's result as well – the most home wins for the program since the 2017-18 squad matched a school record with 15 wins at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The 13 home wins is the third-most victories in Pembroke for the squad in program history.
+ The Black & Gold was unveiled as the top team in the region with the publishing of the first NCAA Southeast Region ranking on Wednesday afternoon. UNCP was listed as a "team under consideration" in last week's alphabetically-based region poll.
UP NEXT
By virtue of their conference regular season title and No. 1 seed, the Braves will get a bye all the way through to the semifinal round of the 2023 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Tournament. UNCP will play its first contest of the postseason on March 4 at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C.
STAY CONNECTED
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BACK THE BRAVES
Fans can help support the UNC Pembroke Men's Basketball program by joining the Braves Club. To find out more information about the Braves Club, visit UNCPBraves.com/BravesClub or email braves.club@uncp.edu.
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